FASHION

The Fall/Winter 2019/2020 Milan men’s collections represent a playground of high intensity sartorial games. When you walk through next season’s Milanese-style park, you get a clear sense that designers came out to play. I imagine some of them in their studios sharing giddy moments with their textile designers after a trip to a fabric mill that has recently developed some geek-worthy technique to create relief patterns. Or experiencing a euphoric high when the print test came back exactly how they imagined (ok, euphoric maybe an exaggeration, maybe just an acute sense of excitement.) Whatever the case, there was a feeling of experimentation throughout the collections that freshened up the Milanese vibe.

The California Dreaming trend isn’t only about tie dye, it’s inspired by so much more. It’s about embracing a bright, cheerful and warm energy. Winter is tough on those of us who live in regions where polar vortexes can swoop in on ruthless and unforgiving wind patterns. Combined with 4:30 pm sunsets, many of us spend winter longing for milder temperatures and chasing golden light. California boasts one of the most beautifully lit coastlines on planet earth. I honestly feel like it’s light is like medicine for the mind, body and spirit.

We have made it to the last drag of the 2018 holiday season, and it’s time to celebrate. We are celebrating our resilience in the face of our most difficult challenges, all we have endured mentally and physically amongst global strife, and it is time to show gratitude for our successes. We will celebrate family and friends and toast the ultimate joy that they add to our lives. It is a time to celebrate letting go of the things that no longer serve us and embracing the freedom and levity we earn by doing so. It is a time to celebrate the beautiful bodies with which the universe has blessed us by adorning them in dresses that make us swoon. It is a time to dance away 2018’s troubles while welcoming the new adventures and beauty that awaits us in 2019.